What am I talking about? It’s been one full day and I’m talking about the lesson I learned after leaving my job.

Life is about happiness.

You may think that this is an idea instilled in every human brain, but it’s not. It wasn’t in mine. I had lived happily for about twenty-one years, fallen down without any grace at all-next stop: misery! – then picked myself up without knowing that my next action would become the answer to, “How can I be happy again?!”…not to be all like, I figured everything out! Because I’m positive there are truckloads of people out there who would think my move was horrendously STUPID. But I feel that happiness is not fully appreciated until we are forced to discover it.

..ever have too many options for what to do with your day? I usually end up in a sweatshirt and gym shorts..anyway…

And you know, I’m a firm believer in the knowledge shared by the old man in Little Miss Sunshine,

“Do what you love, and fuck the rest.”

<–This quote equals the key to happiness! I didn’t say it would lead to money or a pile of Proenza, but it, for sure, leads to happiness. So that’s my life’s mantra. I am back on track to do what I love, and for leaving the rest behind…because yes, we need enough money and some things, but when yoga, inspiration, and a good challenge, are left out of the equation, life has no happiness…make sense?

Oh! But apparently there’s a drug dealer living on the floor beneath my apartment [cop cars EVERYWHERE]. He just threw a 10 lb bag of marijuana off of his balcony, into the pool.

Even if all of this is nonsense, at least my life is going more smoothly than his!

With champagne flowing from 5pm until well past shopping hours, Highland Park Village held an impressive FNO. From the full feathered hats to half-dressed Jimmy Choo models, the entertainment was endless! The guests, alone, were a sight to see!

Some were unexpected…

While others were a living stereotype dressed rather classically

…and lots of Louboutins present!

What else was happening: Stella McCartney opened her newest location. Lori Jones and Julien Sabatier posed together before making it over to the Christian Louboutin for the styling station. DVF girl in FNO top and all else DVF. Lots of Jimmy Choo shoes and style watchers watching. Any question on who’s who and what’s what…just ask!

Within my first year living in this city, I hadn’t found anyone who consistently took risks with his or her appearance (And isn’t that how fashion evolves? ). We all say that Dallas holds the potential to grow but these boys reassured me that there are people here who ensure the potential is not ignored!

Tired of working for a fashion company where people believe Chanel was a man, and sixty- five dollar handbags are couture, China is a continent and grammar is a myth, I resigned from my position [with another job sitting pretty, as back up, duh]. The weight has been lifted and I can see that little spec of light reappear in my eye! So how did this happen you may or may not be wondering. I will tell you…

This morning I awoke feeling terrrrribly ill. So I called in sick. They said, “no, you need to come in.” I said, “I cannot, I’m sick.”

So the next decision they had decided to take was to say, “okay, feel better!” show up at my apartment.

Now– I like to keep my personal life verry separate from my professional happenings. This, in my eyes, was the ultimate overstepping of boundaries. I put on my calm voice (not unlike the one I used to explain Istanbul’s native language) and politely resigned.

Okay, despite my effort to use a happier title, I was, in fact, cynical. I apologize.

So really I want to explain what the meaning behind my “username” is. Sprezzatura (to me) means, appearing effortless…and so, YES– effortless style is what I will bloggg about. Side note: *Style–not referring to ONLY fashion, but it is more…the way we carry on living.* As I’d said before, I moved from the Northeast, down to Dallas, TX…

(Dallas- The home of the opposite from effortless style)

[New York- A city where effortless style is perfected]

I swear this is not going to be a Dallas bashing blog. I will simply compare the differences between beauty, glamour, elegance, and style in each of the two cities…while sharing a few of my personal interactions and experiences.

I was thinking this should have been entitled, “Testing My Patience,” but then I decided that might have been a cynical start to a humorous story. Please read the following events that unfolded on August 4th–

Test 1.
Girl who passed high school and apparently graduated college with honors asks me with no prefacing at all,
“What China are you from?”
I reply “I’m not from China…I’m Korean.”
Girl comes back with, “Yeah but which China are you from?”
…you can imagine my confusion…
I reply, “I’m not from China. I’m from KOREA.”
Girl says, “Oh I knew you were from one of those Chinese countries…like Vietnam or something.”
…How to react? How to react?….Just walk away.

Test 2.
Girl says, “I just simplized that line for you. Don’t thank me or anything.”
“Um..what?”
“I just simplized the line for you.”
“I think you meant to say simplified.”
“No, simplized is a word!”
(FYI I’m watching the little red squiggly underline RIGHT NOW!)
“It’s not, but okay…thank you for simplifying the line for me.”
(The disagreement was actually longer but I feel you get the gist.”)

Test 3.
My stand- in manager asks me if I remember working with a client from Istanbul. I say that I don’t because I would have remembered. All of our clients are from the United States…mainly from the center of the country. So, then, my stand-in manager asks the Girl.

“Do you remember working with a company based in Istanbul?”
“Yes! They were the ones speaking Spanish?”
…I give her the benefit of the doubt, I want her to be able to defend herself. I ask her why she thinks that the customer who was speaking Spanish might be the company from Istanbul, in question.
“Because Spanish is the language they speak.”
Now, I’m no genius, but I am pretty sure that Istanbul is in, or around Turkey..so they would have probably been speaking Turkish. But because I didn’t want her to go on thinking that the native language of Istanbul was Spanish, I told her that I thought the language spoken in Istanbul might be Turkish..

This time, instead of arguing, she says,
“Well I’m not THAT educated.” Then she laughed for a while and replied in a near shout, “Just kidding!!”

That was the moment where my patience -all of them- were sucked into a black hole and I calmly told her, “That was the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”

Thank you for breaking, patience, because that series of events was what propelled me into a frenzy of pissiness (I know.Not a word..but it’s Sunday so whatever) that forced me to share my story…

Okay, so I haven’t always been negative. In fact, I was always pleasant. And I do mean ALWAYS. But then adulthood quickly kicked my ass, as I’m sure it has done to plenty of you..or maybe not..but here’s how it happened to me.

I was on the right track, as we like to say…I went to school in New York for fashion, involved myself in all things creative, worked internships for big name companies, then found myself at a film production company in Soho.

Why would I leave?

Here’s why: Because when thing’s aren’t perfect, we move on…
It took retreating to Dallas, TX for me to realize that CHANGE doesn’t necessarily lead to that hovering lightbulb of enlightenment, but instead, when we make rash decisions..we pay.

DUH.

So I’m living in Dallas, working at a company that celebrates mediocrity, and every person I meet asks, “Why would you leave New york for Dallas?” I’d like to say, “Thank you for reminding me that I’ve made a huge mistake,” but instead I reply, “There is no better city for someone my age to gain quality professional experience.” They usually respond with an unconvinced nod or a sympathetic smirk.